The Best Laid Plans of Ice and Men
May. 10th, 2011 07:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tealinAs the cold and darkness of Antarctic winter descended, to keep everyone informed and stave off terminal boredom, Capt. Scott instituted a lecture series. Three times a week, someone would make a presentation on some area of their expertise or experience. Bill launched the series with a talk on Antarctic flying birds, and Griff gave one on the physiology of rivers, but the first one to be of real significance for everyone was on 8 May 1911, when Scott himself outlined his plans for reaching the Pole the following summer. So ...
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO a couple days ago because I forgot!
From the sources I have on hand, Deb was the only one who tried to note down the presentation verbatim, so I am going to quote him (thanks Deb!):
'"I regard the journey to the Pole in three stages, the 1st to the bottom of the Beardmore Glacier, the 2nd to the top and the 3rd the long journey on the summit of the plateau to the Pole. The whole journey there and back is about 1,530 geographical miles, longer than any sledge journey ever yet made. Since Shackleton's figures are our best guide, I have laid these prospective plans upon data from his book." [N.B.: Here follows some math.]
"On this calculation the whole journey will be ... 144 days back to Cape Armitage [the southernmost tip of Ross Island, near Hut Point].
"Now I don't know whether you realise that 144 days from Nov. 3rd (about the time I intend to start) brings us to Mar. 27th. Further, that the ship cannot stay in the Sound later than Mar. 10th. Therefore the Pole party will almost certainly be too late for the ship. Since the Pole party will be too late, and will have to spend another year, there is no reason why practically the whole party should not stay another year, but on that point we shall have further discussion.
"I wish to repeat now what I said when I first heard of the presence of Amundsen, that this Expedition is going to lay its plans and carry on with its work just as if Amundsen did not exist.
'Capt. Scott then went on to discuss the matter of transport. He considered it unwise to assume that the ponies or dogs would be able to help after the bottom of the Beardmore was reached, and that men alone must be counted on for the last 2 stages. He planned therefore that 3 units (either 3-men or 4-men units, to be determined later) should start from the bottom of the glacier and after 2 weeks one unit should go back. After another 2 weeks the 2nd unit should go back leaving the last unit to make the Pole itself.
'... As regards transport, he felt sure that the only reliable means was the ponies ... "If the ponies can pull 550 lbs each, they alone will be able to pull all that is necessary to the base of the Beardmore."
'The dogs he was frankly disappointed in and he doubted whether they would get as far as the Beardmore. Also he felt he could place no reliance on the motors [motorised sledges], tho' he would send them off a week earlier to show if they could be of any use.
'He decided that all should take ski to the base of the glacier as he thought they would be very useful on the way home when the weights were light. Then he approached the question of endurance. So far he, Evans, and Lashly have exprienced 35 days on the Plateau and were done up completely. Shackleton and his party were about the same time. To get to the Pole the party will have to be 75 days on that Plateau. "I don't know whether it is possible for men to last out that time, I almost doubt it."'
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO a couple days ago because I forgot!
From the sources I have on hand, Deb was the only one who tried to note down the presentation verbatim, so I am going to quote him (thanks Deb!):'"I regard the journey to the Pole in three stages, the 1st to the bottom of the Beardmore Glacier, the 2nd to the top and the 3rd the long journey on the summit of the plateau to the Pole. The whole journey there and back is about 1,530 geographical miles, longer than any sledge journey ever yet made. Since Shackleton's figures are our best guide, I have laid these prospective plans upon data from his book." [N.B.: Here follows some math.]
"On this calculation the whole journey will be ... 144 days back to Cape Armitage [the southernmost tip of Ross Island, near Hut Point].
"Now I don't know whether you realise that 144 days from Nov. 3rd (about the time I intend to start) brings us to Mar. 27th. Further, that the ship cannot stay in the Sound later than Mar. 10th. Therefore the Pole party will almost certainly be too late for the ship. Since the Pole party will be too late, and will have to spend another year, there is no reason why practically the whole party should not stay another year, but on that point we shall have further discussion.
"I wish to repeat now what I said when I first heard of the presence of Amundsen, that this Expedition is going to lay its plans and carry on with its work just as if Amundsen did not exist.
'Capt. Scott then went on to discuss the matter of transport. He considered it unwise to assume that the ponies or dogs would be able to help after the bottom of the Beardmore was reached, and that men alone must be counted on for the last 2 stages. He planned therefore that 3 units (either 3-men or 4-men units, to be determined later) should start from the bottom of the glacier and after 2 weeks one unit should go back. After another 2 weeks the 2nd unit should go back leaving the last unit to make the Pole itself.
'... As regards transport, he felt sure that the only reliable means was the ponies ... "If the ponies can pull 550 lbs each, they alone will be able to pull all that is necessary to the base of the Beardmore."
'The dogs he was frankly disappointed in and he doubted whether they would get as far as the Beardmore. Also he felt he could place no reliance on the motors [motorised sledges], tho' he would send them off a week earlier to show if they could be of any use.
'He decided that all should take ski to the base of the glacier as he thought they would be very useful on the way home when the weights were light. Then he approached the question of endurance. So far he, Evans, and Lashly have exprienced 35 days on the Plateau and were done up completely. Shackleton and his party were about the same time. To get to the Pole the party will have to be 75 days on that Plateau. "I don't know whether it is possible for men to last out that time, I almost doubt it."'
